How can I remove the base of this unit?

[budest]

Hey all,

As the title says. Guy that fitted kitchen for my mother added a small cupboard that could be replaced with a slimline dishwasher and as I was dismantling it tonight I couldn't figure out how to remove the base of it as seen in picture..

Underneath the unit has quarter turn screws, which I assumed when turned would free the base, but that doesn't seem to happen.

I checked the cupboards either side and whilst they are screwed together there are no screws going into the base. Is it glued? Or am I on glue?

 

[alan333]

There are pins sticking out from the cabinet sides which go through holes in the wood base corresponding with the quarter turn screw heads you found underneath (and on the top of the top too) - tightening the quarter turn screws catch the cam on the pin and hold the two pieces together. However you should be able to remove the cabinet intact by unscrewing it from the adjacent cabinets and the worktop, lowering the legs and pulling it forward out the space.

 

[budest]

There are pins sticking out from the cabinet sides which go through holes in the wood base corresponding with the quarter turn screw heads you found underneath (and on the top of the top too) - tightening the quarter turn screws catch the cam on the pin and hold the two pieces together. However you should be able to remove the cabinet intact by unscrewing it from the adjacent cabinets and the worktop, lowering the legs and pulling it forward out the space.

Thanks Alan,

The reason why I just want to remove the base is that keeping the side panels on will make a better fit for the dish washer. Does the lot have to come out initially to separate the base?

 

[Burnerman]

As Alan says, there are steel pegs that lock into those turn fixings, and there could well be wooden dowels too.
Remove the cabinet to allow the base to be taken out. Of course, the cabinet will be much weaker now and you'll lose the legs but there's a cabinet to the right that you can fix to, and probably an oven carcass on the left.
On occasion where removing the cabinet was impossible, I've cut along the base with a jigsaw and pulled it away in two pieces.
John

 

[alan333]

Yes you'll either need to remove the cabinet or cut the base away as John's says. It's difficult to tell from the pic but it looks like there are screws (4 maybe?) through the left side heading for the oven housing, but with them out and any others heading for the opposite cabinet, and any that go up into the worktop... the whole cabinet should come out fairly easily.

BTW I assume that's a 500mm cabinet and you're fitting a 450mm slimline dishwasher? The space inside your cabinet will therefore be about 465mm which would fit the DW fine... but you'll have all three of the front cabinet edges visible (as per all 4 are now). Consider making a 50mm (or maybe 45mm to give some wiggle room) blanking piece for one side instead. This would also bring the front face to the same line as the cabinets rather than 18mm back.

And (sorry for this bit of news you probably don't want to hear) our slimline DW fits tight against the back wall, ie ours wouldn't fit in your gap cos of the copper pipe. The only space for passing pipes on ours is at the very bottom.

 

[budest]

Thanks for help guys. What I did was remove unit as advised, then the base and replaced side pieces to close the gap at each side of the dishwasher. Looks good enough. Going to head over to plumbing section now for a quick bit of advice.

PS: Alan, fortunately the copper pipe wasn't an issue for us.